Details

Last Updated: 13 July 2020

COVID-19

The Bereavement Office provides advice and practical help for bereaved relatives in the period immediately after the death of a loved one.

The team can be contacted on 01932 722319 from Monday to Friday between 9am and 4pm.

The process has been simplified to reflect the need for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic and to reduce the number of people visiting the hospital.

• Medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD)
• Your relative’s property
• Information about your relative’s illness and death
• Bereavement Office
• Advice and Information
• Getting Advice
• Which Funeral Directors?
• Bereavement Advice Leaflet

Visiting the Chapel of Rest at the Mortuary

Please note that due to the current COVID-19 situation, the Trust Mortuary is unable to facilitate any visits to the Chapel of Rest.

When appropriate, It is advisable to discuss viewing with your chosen funeral director.

Medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD)

You need a MCCD for a Registrar to issue a Death Certificate for your relative.

The bereavement team will send a scanned copy of the MCCD direct to the Guildford Register Office or will issue it to a family’s Funeral Director, to avoid the need for a family to visit the hospital.

The MCCD is completed and signed by a doctor who has seen a patient during their last illness within 28 days before their death.

The MCCD can also be signed on behalf of another doctor, if the certifying doctor is able to state the cause of death to their best knowledge and belief.

Your relative’s property

You will be able to collect your relative’s personal items. If your relative had COVID-19 you will need to wait at least 72 hours before collecting their property from a central point at the hospital.

Items belonging to other patients who did not have COVID-19 may be collected by making an appointment with the Bereavement Officers on 01932 722319.

Information about your relative’s illness and death

We recognise this is a difficult time for families and you will be able to talk to our Medical Examiners to learn more about your relative’s illness and last moments. We hope this will provide some comfort to families at this difficult time.

Please contact the Bereavement team on 01932 722319 to make an appointment with a Medical Examiner.

Bereavement Office

The Bereavement Office offers advice and practical help for bereaved relatives in the period immediately following the death of a loved one.

If you have lost a relative or friend whilst they were a patient at the Ashford and St Peter’s hospitals, many staff will have been involved in their care during their stay and so, on behalf of all of them, we wish to express our condolences, sympathy and concern for you at this time.

Advice and Information

How to register a death and other useful information

• Surrey County Council: After a death

Bereavement support

Cruse Bereavement Care:

• Local Services in North Surrey

Downloads

• COVID-19 Bereavement Guide
• Surrey Registration Service Bereavement Guide

Getting Advice

Our Bereavement Officers are pleased to offer help and advice for relatives and carers of those who have died in our care. They will help you to make arrangements to:

• Collect the medical certificate of cause of death
• Explain the procedures for the registration of death
• Explain the procedure for the return of the deceased’s property

In some cases the Trust will not be able to complete the medical certificate of cause of death and the case may be referred to the Coroner’s Officers. Our Bereavement Office will be able to advise you on how to proceed.

Which Funeral Directors?

You may wish to approach more than one Funeral Director to get an estimate of their costs before making your choice; your chosen funeral director should be able to guide you in every detail of making the funeral arrangements. Our Bereavement Officers can advise you of names of funeral directors in the local area if required, but are not able to make any personal recommendation.